All of us who knew Billy (William J.) Abraham (1947-2021) were stunned last week when we received the grievous news of his death. Since then, I have read several moving remembrances. Some of Billy’s seminary and graduate students have written
Boundary Questions Refuse to Go Away
Imagine that you just moved into a neighborhood and, as you get acquainted with one of your new neighbors, you discover that the two of you share a commitment to community engagement. The new acquaintance invites you to join a
An Open Letter to Adam Hamilton and Other Centrists: Where Lie the Boundaries?
Dear Adam (Hamilton) and Other Centrists, When I wrote, recently, about my conviction that the current United Methodist Church needs to divide, I don’t think I made sufficiently clear that I recognize this admission as a sign of failure. Sometimes,
Church-Like Schools?
As a companion to the previous installment, in this post I want to advocate for a thesis that long ago fell into disfavor. I’ll put it in its simplest and most straightforward form and then explain. Church-related colleges and universities
We Need School-like Churches.
As a kid, I was bookish. I loved sports. I took piano lessons. I participated in 4H. I liked to hang out with my friends. But I also loved to read. Sometimes I got so absorbed in what I was